Memory
by jordiebelizabeth
Summary: The Labyrinth connected deeply to Sarah, seeing who she was and who she could be. So when she leaves, it nearly kills them both. To save them, Jareth must erase Sarah's memories and reset the game. Years on, she's determined to find out just what happened to her and who the Goblin King really is. But there's more to know than she bargained for, and an old deal becomes bigger still.
1. Introduction

_Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember_

 _And a song someone sings, once upon a December_

 _Someone holds me safe and warm_

 _Horses prance through a silver storm_

 _Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory_

 _Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember_

 _Things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember_

 _And a song, someone sings, once upon a December_

The ground shook and the walls of the castle began to give way. The sky churned with black turmoil, turning blinding white every time the lightning tore from the clouds. Everything that grew from the earth writhed in pain and turned on the citizens that lived nearby. No creature was safe; running was made useless by the shifting ground, and those that found shelter could only watch and pray. The goblins of the castle scurried about in terrified circles, shouting and running into each other. Panic had seized the entire kingdom. Then came a cry from the throne room that made them all stand still. They knew what it meant: the king was trying to hold the Labyrinth together.

And he was failing.

Jareth fought with all his power, giving everything to heal the fracturing Underground. He threw crystal after crystal at the fraying seams of his world, but the ruin was spreading faster. In a matter of moments, the Labyrinth would be no more.

Aboveground, there were no such tremors or storms, nor was there mass panic. Humans are usually blissfully unaware of the troubles in surrounding worlds, and it is best if it is left that way. But this time, the pain of one realm was about to breach their own.

Sarah, days out of the Labyrinth, was straightening her room when she felt it. She grew suddenly faint, her body began to shake, and a chill seeped through her from the inside out. For just an instant, she blacked out, coming to only to find herself shaking on the ground. _W-what's happening,_ she asked herself, trying to fight her way into a sitting position against the sudden wave of exhaustion.

"Sarah!"

That was Hoggle's voice! She turned her head to the mirror and nearly jumped to find him standing one foot away from her, having already come through to her world.

"Hoggle…help…" Sarah strained.

"Don' worry, Sarah," Hoggle assured in him gruff voice while waving Sir Didymus and Ludo through the mirror. "We got ya, but we gotta move ya."

Sarah frowned as she tried once more to sit up. "W-Where?"

"My lady," Sir Didymus said, "we must take you back to the Labyrinth."

"What? Why?" Sarah asked alarmed. She had just beaten the darn thing, and now she was expected to return? And how could going back to that place be of any help to her now?

"H-Hoggle," Sarah began. "Sir Didymus, listen. I need an ambulance, not the L-Labyrinth. I need—"

"You need King Jareth, my lady," Sir Didymus spoke gently.

Sarah's eyes widened. "N-No. No I don't. Not him."

"He's right, Sarah," Hoggle said, helping her sit up fully. "What's happenin' to you is happenin' to the whole Labyrinth. As much as I don' like it, Jareth's the one to help ya. He sent us to come an' get ya."

"But—"

"Sarah come," Ludo said gravely.

It was this more than anything that convinced her to finally let them take her. Ludo had the purest and sweetest of hearts, and she knew that he cared for her a great deal. If he thought the way to help her was to take her to the Goblin King, then she would go.

It hurt to be carried by Ludo a little, but she tried not to show it as he lifted her up and turned back to the mirror. Ludo walked straight at it, ducking very low, and passed through. Sarah gasped a little at the strange sensation. It felt like a solid wall of cold passed throughout her entire body, but the feeling only lasted a second. One second later, and the pair stood facing the entrance to the castle in the Goblin City.


	2. Chapter 1

King Jareth grit his teeth and formed another crystal—what felt like the hundredth—and hurled it at the rupturing west corner of the Labyrinth. Yet even as he did so, the north was beginning to cave in on itself. His strength was being sapped, his arm was weakening, and he couldn't keep up with the malignant spread of destruction throughout the Underground. His throne room had become his battlefield, a vantage point to view his entire kingdom and attempt to fight her ills. One of the first things he'd done was tear open large gaps in the walls in order to get clearer lines of sight to the more reclusive parts of the Labyrinth, exposing the interior of the castle to the roiling elements outside.

Thunder tore through the air like a physical force, with lightning that never ceased and clouds that threatened to touch the earth. Wind whipped ferociously through the gaping holes in the walls and drowned out whatever sound the thunder hadn't already overpowered. He would never have noticed the goblin in the doorway if it hadn't been frantically waving its arms. The goblin king threw one final crystal in the hopes of buying a little time and ran over.

"What," he snapped.

"The girl!" it squeaked, shaking from fear both of him and the storm. "She's here!"

Sarah. He had felt how special she was the moment she set foot inside his Labyrinth. And he had been _such_ a fool! He had gotten so caught up in the theatrics and the game that he had missed his chance, possibly his only chance, to show her just what she meant to him and to his kingdom. And now, the Labyrinth was suffering for it.

He only knew of one possible solution, but he had to see her first. Taking a risk, he used up part of his remaining power to blanket the entirety of his world in a thin, flimsy shield of magic. It would hold off the dark, deep destruction for now, but time was short.

"Bring her here," he ordered. The goblin bobbed quickly in response and sprinted back down the hallway.

Jareth heaved a sigh and closed his eyes as he turned to face his throne room. This was worse than he had let himself believe. Sarah was special, yes, but he didn't realize just how special until she left. But the Labyrinth had known, in its own way, and when she stepped away, it was as though she tore the very fabric of what the Labyrinth was always meant to be. She was the one it had been searching for.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he looked back to see an interesting group of creatures coming toward him. Led by the same goblin, Hoggle waddled hurriedly alongside a white sheepdog being ridden by a peculiar fox. Bringing up the rear was a giant orange-furred beast. And in his arms he carried Sarah.

The Goblin King's heart twisted in his chest, but he kept his face cool. No emotions could get in the way now. It was too late for that.

The group entered the throne room and looked about aghast. Normally surrounded by thick stone and many goblins, the room was a destroyed mess. The king himself appeared worn and grim. Whatever the situation meant, the four who now stood in his castle knew the hour was a dark one, indeed.

"Bring her in," the Goblin King commanded. "We have little time."

The large beast—Ludo, he thought—stepped forward with Sarah, who seemed pale and frail in his grasp. Hoggle wrung his hands nervously.

"You won' hurt the little lady, will ya?" he asked.

"If His Majesty does, His Majesty will be respectfully punished most severely! With his permission," Sir Didymus declared.

The king rolled his eyes and ignored them. He whipped off his cloak and spread it on the ground. Not ideal, but it was all he could do. Ludo lowered Sarah down with surprising gentility. The king could tell she was nervous, and she should be; she had left his kingdom in quite a state. But the shield he had put over his land was growing thin, and he had to act swiftly.

"Sarah," he said, and her gazed whipped to him. There was real fear in her eyes, but not just of him. She had no idea what was happening to her, and for a moment, he felt sympathy for her. The girl had no idea who she was.

"Sarah," he tried softer, "the Labyrinth and you are experiencing the same thing. When you left, something happened. The Labyrinth had a strong tie with you that broke, and now it's killing both of you."

"What k-kind of tie?" Sarah asked. But the Goblin King shook his head.

"There isn't time," he said. "I can think of only one possible way to fix this, but you will hate me for it."

Sarah paled. "What is it?"

"I'm going to take away every memory you have of this place," he said. "You won't remember me, or the goblins, or your companions, or the Labyrinth itself. You won't know it exists. You will return to your life as though nothing happened."

"I… I'll forget?" she said, her face growing sad. "But— Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus…"

"Yes, you'll forget them," the Goblin King said. "And you'll forget the Labyrinth. If I'm right, and I usually am when it comes to my Labyrinth, the fact that you won't have any knowledge of this place will cause it to…reset, in a sense. The bond that the Labyrinth has with you will be repaired because it will be as though nothing was broken."

Sarah's eyes welled up. "But I don't want to forget."

"Sarah sad!" Ludo wailed.

"It'll be all right, my lady," Sir Didymus assured. "We won't forget _you_. You're a dear friend, and that won't change just because you can't remember."

A tear escaped her eyes at this.

"Don' cry, Sarah," Hoggle said. "We won' ever be far from ya. And should ya need us…."

She smiled sadly. "I'll call."

The ground suddenly shook violently, and a rumble louder and more menacing than thunder sounded in the distance. The Goblin King muttered under his breath, his eyes flashing up and fixing on a point to the west.

"We're out of time," he said urgently.

"What was that noise?" Sarah asked alarmed.

"My magic isn't enough to hold the Labyrinth together anymore," he explained quickly. "I have to do this now."

Sarah gasped, a new wave of fear hitting her. The sound took Jareth by slight surprise, and he looked at her face. Swallowing hard, she nodded. Without waiting another second, he drew on his last dregs of power and caused Sarah to fall into a deep sleep. Bending over her, he began pulling every memory of the Labyrinth that she had from her mind and placed them inside a crystal. It glowed brighter the more memories he took until he had erased everything about the Underworld that she had. He left some things, like the book and her own imaginings, because she had them before she came the first time, too. They would keep her from losing parts of herself from before, and, with time, perhaps would lead to a second chance in the future. But he didn't let that hope grow much. He knew the stakes, and this visit was likely goodbye.

The Goblin King sat back when he was finished and lifted the crystal up to eye level. The others looked on in mixed awe and fear, concerned for their Sarah. After studying it for a minute, the king waved his hands, and it disappeared.

All at once, the destruction of the kingdom froze. The living creatures of the land waited with bated breath, everyone wondering what would happen next. Then, slowly, the darkness started receding. The Labyrinth grew peaceful and repaired itself. The ground came together where it had split open. The clouds thinned and finally receded. All manner of plants and land regrew and reformed. The king had been right: it was as if the entire Underworld had reset, as though nothing was ever wrong in the first place.

Relief flooded those standing in the throne room, but it came with a burden. They all gazed down at the young girl now sleeping peacefully. The color had returned to her cheeks, and her brow was no longer furrowed with worry. She was safe.

Sir Didymus was the first to break the silence.

"Now what?"

"Now you leave," the Goblin King responded. "I'll be the one to return her. If anything goes wrong when she crosses back into her world, I want to be there." And though it went against his very nature, he added, "Say your goodbyes."

The three friends each took a minute with dreaming Sarah before the Goblin King shooed them away. When the last echo of their retreating footsteps faded away, the king wrapped the girl in the cloak he had laid down for her and lifted her in his arms. This was going to be the tricky part. Summoning a crystal, he whispered a few unintelligible words and let it fall to the floor. When it shattered, the smoke inside billowed around the two, encompassing them completely. When it cleared, he stood in a room that he had previously only seen once through a window.

Jareth carried Sarah over to the bed and laid her gently down. He unwrapped the cloak from around her and pulled her own blankets over her. This was harder than he thought. He really didn't want to leave, but his Labyrinth was still fragile. He needed to go back. Gareth was about to turn away for good when he spotted the little red book.

Well, he could leave her a _little_ hint.

So when Sarah woke up the next day, blissfully unaware of all her adventures, it was to _The Labyrinth_ resting quietly in her hand and a promise hiding quietly in her memory.


	3. Chapter 2

_There is no better time or place than this._

This was the mindset of a young woman lounging on a worn wooden bench, sunning herself on a particularly glorious day. Her arms were flung out to the side as she stretched out, taking up the entire seat, and she basked in the gentle heat falling sweetly on the park. The air was bright with new life, new beginnings, new promises. Greens, reds, blues, yellows, and browns littered the landscape in waves. Many people had forsaken the dark indoors and traversed the park like visitors to a wonderland. Strangers all, but that was of no consequence; they were all united by the revitalized earth, feeling renewed as the world was renewed.

A soft sigh escaped the girl's lips as she let the sun wrap her up in its grasp. Not much could compare to spring, in her opinion. After months of grey skies and being stuck within four walls, it was liberating to step outside into tolerable temperatures. It brought back sweet memories, too. Running around with her dog, dressing up as her favorite heroine as she recited her lines, teaching her brother how to ride a bike, picnics with her mother….

She smiled fondly at that memory in particular. It used to pain her to remember her mother, whether the memory was happy or not. Her death had shaken her deeply, as it would any child, and it took her years to come to terms with the loss. It wasn't until after certain…strange events…that she finally felt able to say goodbye.

Strange events. Her face contorted into a frown as that experience brought itself to the forefront of her mind. It wasn't often that she let herself dwell on the days that changed her life. True, she had a lot to be grateful for because of it—her brother, a repaired relationship with her stepmother, closure over her real mother—but there was part of it that she had always sensed wasn't quite…sealed off. And she was well aware that all of that unease had to do with the little red book she had been holding when she woke up the morning her confusion ended.

The problem was that she couldn't remember. She could tell something had happened that week. There was a string of days that were all blurred and hazy in her mind's eye. She couldn't tell where she was or what she was doing. Nothing made sense, and asking her parents and Toby only led to dead ends. Her only hint was _The Labyrinth_.

Once, a year after that, she had embarked on a mission to find out everything she could about the labyrinth. She had wanted to explore any lead that might tell her what had happened to her. But try as she might, she couldn't find anything that told her much. Here and there would be a familiar description of a place or rumors of a mysterious magical figure, but never were there any specified details or personal accounts. It was all based on the book, not on real life occurrences. Surely, she thought, there must be others out there who had experienced the same memory loss that she had. Confused, she had turned to Toby. She asked him about his memories, searching for any sign that the tiny boy had retained anything from his early years. He seemed totally vacant on the subject at first, but then one conversation changed that.

"Toby, do you remember when you and I used to play together?" she had started one afternoon when they were playing.

Toby had shouted gleefully, lifting up his truck in excitement.

"You remember?" she asked hopefully. "Toby, what did we do right at the beginning? Right before we started playing together more."

Toby laughed at the funny-sounding question. She asked again.

"Dance!"

Nope. Definitely didn't remember.

She sighed, frustrated. It had been a long shot, she knew, what with Toby being so young, but she had hoped to hear…well, she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to hear. Was it good or bad that she didn't remember? It may mean that she really hadn't left everything in that short window of time behind.

"Magic!"

She looked round at Toby.

"Magic!" he shouted again, and started stomping his feet. Her mind raced, recalling a passage from the little red book that she had read so many times. How could he have known about the magic in the book?

So Toby did remember! At least part of it. He remembered something big, something significant enough for him to say "magic". Her sixteen-year-old self had heaved a sigh of relief, not that it answered any of her questions. Something had happened, and Toby somehow knew it. But what?

From then on, she had decided to read _The Labyrinth_ to Toby under the guise of a bedtime story. More than just putting him to sleep at night, she hoped it would trigger something in his mind while her own remained so stubbornly dark.

It had been nearly a decade since those questions plagued her. She had eventually grown to live with them, but she was careful not to forget totally. Memories are powerful things, and she wasn't keen on losing any more.

But for now, she let her musings fall to the side. After all, it was such a beautiful day, and even random amnesia would find it a difficult task to ruin it.

As her mind drifted off into daydreams, the wind whistled past, and carried with it what her imagination spun as the whispers of a half-remembered king.

 _Sarah._

—

The next day, she brought Toby. Being ten years old, he was mature enough to spend a fun day with but young enough that hanging out with his sister was still cool. They raced each other on their bikes, ate ice cream from a vendor, and made sure to meet and pet as many dogs as possible.

It was close to dinnertime when they began to head back. After debating how long she should let him play, she eventually called Toby from the playground. Food is one of the first loves of every girl, and Sarah was no exception. Even Toby was slowing down.

The walk through the park toward home was just as pleasant as sitting on the bench had been the day before. The wind carried with it the intoxicating scents of spring. Sarah gave up trying to name them all and simply let them melt together in one perfect perfume.

Toby tagged along silently next to her as they made their way to the bike rack at the edge of the grounds. He had a slight frown on his face, which made him look older. Sarah stifled a smile and asked him what was wrong.

After a moment of silence, Toby answered, "It's just this guy that keeps showing up around us every so often. I feel like I've seen him before."

Sarah frowned with him now. She hadn't seen anyone strange at all, or familiar. Her mind reviewed all her time spent at the park, the bench, the breeze.

 _Sarah._

She froze in her tracks. Toby stopped, too, and looked worried.

"Sarah?" he asked slowly. "What is it?"

What is it, indeed! The research she did on her book had talked about a mysterious man, and she had just been thinking about him yesterday. It was childish and far-fetched, but if the stories were true, and he really was magical, could it really be a coincidence? On the bench, hadn't she pretended to hear her name on the wind? And now it was happening _without_ her imagination. She couldn't let it go. If this was her chance to find out what was done to her all those years ago, she would take it.

Sarah swallowed and made her voice steady. "Which man is it? Do you see him now?"

Toby quickly glanced around and back at his sister. "Yes."

"Show me."

"He's the one standing by the fountain, under the tree."

Sarah waited a second, then turned and scanned the area. She spotted the man, who was looking away, and scrutinized him at a distance. At first, there seemed to be nothing remarkable or familiar about him. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a jacket. He appeared at ease, simply people-watching while resting in the shade. But the more attention she gave him, the less… _real_ he looked. His short blond hair looked like flax, and the air around him seemed to shimmer.

"Toby, look at him."

"What? No! He'll see us!"

"No, I mean really look at him. Look how fake he looks. And look around him! It's like he's surrounded by invisible glitter."

Toby gave her a look like she was crazy, but he obeyed. He started to study him, too, and soon saw what she did. As if he sensed that he was about to be discovered, the man turned his head closer to their direction, his eyes searching out who was taking enough care to see through his illusion. Sarah now focused on his face, completely unrecognizable, but she knew what would happen. The face of the stranger changed right in front of her. Toby gasped, and the man finally found them.

Sarah found herself meeting a pair of mismatched eyes.


End file.
